New wind-fanned Copperfield Fire races across 2,500 acres SE of Chiloquin, prompts evacuations, state Conflagration Act
(Update: Monday morning update; fire estimated at 2,500 acres)
CHILOQUIN, Ore. (KTVZ) – A new, wind-fanned wildfire was reported Sunday afternoon southeast of Chiloquin and quickly grew to about 2,500 acres by Monday morning after prompting area evacuations and Gov. Tina Kotek to declare it a conflagration, bringing state task forces to assist area firefighters.
The Copperfield Fire was detected around 3 p.m. about five miles southeast of Chiloquin and had reached about 1,000 acres as of 7:30 p.m., “with high fire potential,” according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.
"Resources were successful overnight in laying dozer line from the heel of the fire and up the east and west flanks.," ODF said Monday. "Today, they will continue to work on creating dozer line along the north side of the fire to stop forward progression.
"Multiple air resources are on order today to help with suppression efforts. Southwest to west winds are expected to challenge the eastern fire lines throughout today," the agency added.
“Due to unfavorable weather conditions, this is a rapidly evolving incident,” said Teresa Williams, Klamath-Lake District forester. “We’re grateful to have the help of the incident management teams in managing and working to contain this fire and protect our communities.”
Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act Sunday night for the fire, according to the Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office. As of 8 p.m., the fire was estimated between 1,500 and 2,000 acres, as winds gusting to near 40 mph pushed its rapid growth.
By 4:30 p.m., there already were six engines, five air tankers, two helicopters, two water tenders and four bulldozers on scene, with more resources on the way and night operations gearing up. ODF's Klamath-Lake District joined federal, state, local and private partners battling the blaze.
The Klamath County Sheriff’s Office ordered Level 3 GO NOW evacuations along milepost 6-7 of Sprague River Road, which also was closed between Williamson River Road and Lone Pine Road for evacuations and fire operations. Wider areas were under Level 2 BE SET and Level 1 BE READY pre-evacuation notices.
A map and info are at https://www.klamathcounty.org/300/Emergency-Management. You can also track fire updates at: https://app.watchduty.org/i/32838.
The South Central Oregon Fire Management Partnership reported that residents who needed to leave the area and head west were told an evacuation center was being set up at the Chiloquin Community Center. Those headed east on Sprague River Highway were being asked to head to the town of Sprague River.
Shelters were set up at the Chiloquin Community Center, 140 S. First Avenue and the Klamath Falls Fairgrounds, 3531 S. Sixth Street, Building 2 (blue building).
The National Weather Service in Pendleton upgraded a fire weather watch to a red flag warning for areas including the Klamath Basin and south-central Oregon from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday for strong gusty winds and low humidity bringing critical fire weather conditions.
ODF’s Incident Management Team 3 was mobilized Sunday night to the fire burning in the Klamath-Lake District. The team will in brief at 1:00 p.m. Monday and will enter unified command with the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Red Team at 6:00 p.m.
The OSFM Red Incident Management Team and eight task forces are being mobilized to the fire. Two task forces from Lane County and Central Oregon are part of the response and were sent through Immediate Response earlier Sunday evening.
“The weather drove this fire, and Oregon will continue to face challenging weather conditions over the next three weeks. Fire season isn’t over yet and I encourage everyone to stay vigilant,” state Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Travis Medema said. “I cannot thank our incident management teams and task forces headed to this fire enough. They have had a busy season and responded no matter the time, no matter the situation.”
